A Comparative Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of Three Solvency Management Models

The introduction of the Altman’s Z-score model in 1983 and much recently the Enyi’s Relative Solvency Ratio model in 2005 has divergently provided financial analysts with alternative methods of analyzing corporate solvency which hitherto was exclusively done using the traditional historical record based ratio analysis, with particular reference to the current ratio. To test the relevance and effectiveness of the three models, real life performance data were extracted from the annual reports of 7 quoted companies, analyzed using the three models and the results compared to show the strengths and weaknesses of each. The result revealed that the current ratio and the Z-score models suffer from many limitations including imprecision while the Relative Solvency Ratio combines the capability of an effective indicator with the precision required of a true predictor

Mentoring: Adding Value to Organizational Culture

Given that leadership is value-based and relationship-permeated, one asks how leaders can transfer personal and organizational value to employees. One answer to this is through mentoring. Mentoring young or inexperienced workers is an investment in the future of business, the school system, organizations, etc. Understanding this idea is difficult because current mentoring research demonstrates that mentoring is more convoluted than was once thought. This article will make an effort to untangle some of this research and then suggest a “common sense” and “practical” definition of “mentoring.” This is a definition that can be used in large and small businesses, in churches, schools, and by community organizations. In our conclusion, we summarize the research examined: The characteristics of a mentor The characteristics of a mentor-protégé relationship A description of the mentoring process A simple definition of “mentoring” that is widely applicabl

EFFECT OF PRODUCT QUALITY, SERVICE QUALITY, PRODUCT ATTRACTIVENESS AND CORPORATE IMAGE ON DECISIONS SAVING ON BIMA SAVINGS (Study at Bank Jateng Main Branch of Semarang)

This study aims to analyze the effect of Product Quality, Service Quality, Product Attractiveness and Corporate Image on Savings Decision on Bima Savings. Selection of the model is adjusted to the problem of research, namely not achieving the target of Bima Savings provided by the Company (Bank Jateng). The research was conducted at Central Java Bank Branch Office at Pemuda Street Semarang, with sampling technique to produce representative sample is purposive sampling. Analytical techniques used to test the relationship between variables is the path analysis with the help of AMOS software. The result of analysis shows that there is a positive and significant correlation between product quality of Bima Savings to product attractiveness, positive and significant correlation between service quality to company image, positive and significant relationship between product attractiveness and company image to decision of saving

Employer Training and Skill Shortages: A Review of the State of Knowledge With Recommendations for Future Research by the Department of Labor

This report proposes that the Department of Labor undertake a program of research designed to inform the policy debate related to skill shortages and the role of employer training in ameliorating them. The paper reviews the currently available evidence and then proposes new research on seven questions

Application of support vector machines on the basis of the first Hungarian bankruptcy model

In our study we rely on a data mining procedure known as support vector machine (SVM) on the database of the first Hungarian bankruptcy model. The models constructed are then contrasted with the results of earlier bankruptcy models with the use of classification accuracy and the area under the ROC curve. In using the SVM technique, in addition to conventional kernel functions, we also examine the possibilities of applying the ANOVA kernel function and take a detailed look at data preparation tasks recommended in using the SVM method (handling of outliers). The results of the models assembled suggest that a significant improvement of classification accuracy can be achieved on the database of the first Hungarian bankruptcy model when using the SVM method as opposed to neural networks

THE INFLUENCE OF ECO-CONTROL ON ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: A NATURAL RESOURCEBASED APPROACH

Alors qu'une littérature grandissante a examiné et démontré une influence directe de l'adoption des outils d'éco-contrôle sur la performance organisationnelle, peu de recherches ont tenté de comprendre la façon dont cette influence s'opérationnalise au sein des organisations. Se basant sur la Natural Resourced-Based View, l'objectif de cet article est d'ouvrir cette boite noire et d'examiner le potentiel des outils d'éco-contrôles à supporter les compétences environnementales et d'en analyser l'impact sur la performance environnementale et économique de l'organisation.Outis d'éco-contrôle, Natural resourcedbased view, compétences environnementales, systèmes de mesures de la performance environnementale, performance environnementale

Determinants and dimensions of firm growth

Firm growth is an important indicator of a thriving economy. Although the determinants of firm growth have been studied in various disciplines, an integrated analysis is still lacking. This paper attempts to provide such an analysis. Many determinants of firm growth are summarized and classified into three dimensions: individual, organizational, and environmental determinants. By conducting an empirical study using 523 Dutch small and medium sized firms, we identify the determinants of firm growth which is measured by employment growth. Our findings show that environmental determinants do not affect firm growth. Individual ones do: entrepreneurs with growth motivation and having technical knowledge are more likely to grow their firms while entrepreneurs characterized by a strong need of achievement are less likely to engage in firm growth. Organizational determinants have the most influence on firm growth: the older thefirm, the less likely it is to grow. Availability of financial capital is found to be crucial to firm growth. Finally, the firm’s scalability (its preparedness to grow) is found to have a positive impact on firm growth.

Urban School Decentralization and the Growth of "Portfolio Districts"

In the latter half of the past decade, school districts in several large cities, including New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and post-Katrina New Orleans, have implemented an urban school decentralization model generally known as "portfolio districts." Others, including those in Denver and Cleveland, are following suit in what appears to be a growing trend. The portfolio strategy has become increasingly prominent in educational policy circles, think tank and philanthropy literature, and education news reporting. As CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, Arne Duncan embraced the portfolio district model. His appointment as U.S. Secretary of Education suggests the Obama administration also supports the approach. The premise of the portfolio strategy is that if superintendents build portfolios of schools that encompass a variety of educational approaches offered by different vendors, then over time school districts will weed out under-performing approaches and vendors; as a result, more children will have more opportunities for academic success. This brief examines the available evidence for the viability of this premise and the proposals that flow from it.The portfolio district approach merges four strategies: 1) decentralization; 2) charter school expansion; 3) reconstituting/closing "failing" schools; and 4) test-based accountability. Additionally, portfolio district restructuring often involves firing an underperforming school's staff in its entirety, whether or not the school is reconstituted as a charter school. In this model, the portfolio district is conceptualized as a circuit of "continuous improvement." Schools are assessed based on test scores; if their scores are low, they are subject to being closed and reopened as charters. The replacement charters are subsequently subject to test-based assessment and, if scores remain disappointing, to possible closure and replacement by still other contractors. The portfolio district concept implements what has been since the 1990's discussed in educational policy literature as market-based "creative destruction" or "churn."1 This perspective considers public schools to be comparable to private enterprise, with competition a key element to success. Just as businesses that cannot turn sufficient profit, schools that cannot produce test scores higher than competitors' must be "allowed" to "go out of business." The appeal of the portfolio district strategy is that it appears to offer an approach sufficiently radical to address longstanding and intractable problems in public schools.Although the strategy is being advocated by some policy centers, implemented by some large urban districts, and promoted by the education reforms proposed as part of the Obama administrations Race to the Top initiative, no peer-reviewed studies of portfolio districts exist, meaning that no reliable empirical evidence about portfolio effects is available that supports either the implementation or rejection of the portfolio district reform model. Nor is such evidence likely to be forthcoming. Even advocates acknowledge the enormous difficulty of designing credible empirical studies to determine how the portfolio approach affects student achievement and other outcomes. There are anecdotal reports of achievement gains in one portfolio district, New Orleans. The New Orleans results, however, have been subjected to serious challenge. Extrapolation of research on the constituent elements of the model is not helpful because of the complex interactions of these elements within the portfolio model. Moreover, even when the constituent elements are considered as a way to predict the likely success of the model, no evidence is found to suggest that it will produce gains in either achievement or fiscal efficiency. Finally, the policy writing of supporters of the portfolio model suggests that the approach is expensive to implement and may have negative effects on student achievement.In light of these considerations, it is recommended that policymakers and administrators use caution in considering the portfolio district approach. It is also highly recommended that before adopting such a strategy, decision makers ask the following questions.What credible evidence do we have, or can we obtain, that suggests the portfolio model offers advantages compared to other reform models? What would those advantages be, when might they be expected to materialize, and howmight they be documented?If constituent elements of the model (such as charter schools and test-based accountability) have not produced advantages outside of portfolio systems, whatis the rationale for expecting improved outcomes as part of a portfolio system?What funding will be needed for startup, and where will it come from?What funding will be necessary for maintenance of the model? Where will continuation funds come from if startup funds expire and are not renewed?How will the cost/benefit ratio of the model be determined?What potential political and social conflicts seem possible? How will concerns of dissenting constituents be addressed